Youth advocates and roller-derby athletes (including “Susan B. Anarchy,” pictured second from right) teamed up to protest on the steps of City Hall, making a successful last-minute effort to delay the sale of a coveted plot of city land.
The group, which advocates building a roller-skating rink along Long Wharf, rejoiced as aldermen at Monday night’s full board meeting agreed to send the matter to the Community Development Committee for a public hearing instead of approving the sale that night. The property, at 108 Food Terminal Plaza, was slated to be sold to a buyer other than the group favored by the roller rinkers.
That buyer is Something Sweet bakery. Bakery owners Joe and MaryAnn Montesano make cream pies and crumb cakes at the old Lender’s Bagels factory off Grand Avenue. They also have freezer space at 106 Food Terminal Plaza. The company, which has been in New Haven for 10 years, is itching to expand next door. The bakers hope to double production of their baked goods, which are sent to as far away as Minnesota, Florida and Maine.
The city economic development staff, through a Request For Proposals process, recommended the Montesanos’ project over three others, praising the “strong business model” and promised addition of 23 jobs.
Dixwell resident Isee Greenwood, who submitted one of the losing proposals, has not given up. She looks at the run-down former Production Tool Company building at 108 Food Terminal and sees the perfect place for a roller-skating rink, complete with mini-movie theater and food court.
“I’m tired of the kids getting killed, tired of the gang violence,” said Greenwood Monday on the steps of City Hall. A paraprofessional in the city school system, Greenwood says kids need places to go to keep them off the streets. A rink seemed a perfect solution, but with teen turf wars, it isn’t safe for kids to cross into other neighborhoods.
“You put it in the Hill, the Hill will take it over; You put it in the ‘Ville, the ‘Ville will take it over. Same with the jungle or the Island,” she said. The Food Terminal — an industrial zone out on Long Wharf — is perfect “neutral territory,” she saidd.
Greenwood gave this pitch to aldermen Monday, stopping them on their way into City Hall. She was joined on the steps by Gary Holder-Winfield, chair of the Connecticut Federation of Black Democratic Clubs; Maurice Peters of Uniting Our Youth and neighborhood activists like Dwight’s parent patroller, Greg Smith.
“Susan B. Anarchy” (at right in the photo) showed up, too. She and fellow teammates on the CT Roller Girls roller derby league want to have a place to practice a little closer to home. As it stands, they have to trek to Waterbury to find a roller rink.
Greenwood said the choice is between promoting healthy alternatives to the streets, or furthering the childhood obesity epidemic. A skating rink keeps kids healthy, she reasoned. “Cookies are just making the kids more fat.”
With so much talk of kids needing positive options, “Mayor, here’s an opportunity to put your words in action,” Greenwood charged.
City staff, however, said they just did not find her proposal viable. Greenwood “has not given my department any financial information to indicate she has financing to support a business,” said city economic development staffer Helen Rosenberg.
Rosenberg said Greenwood lacks a business plan. “It’s not skating rink versus bakery, because there is no business,” she said. Greenwood “has nothing to offer. She has only an idea, an idea with nothing behind it.”
Economic development’s Chrissy Bonanno said the city worked with Greenwood to look at four or five other options, but Greenwood rejected the alternatives because they were not in “neutral” territory.
“We want to work with her to see her dream come to fruition,” said Bonanno, but the food terminal, with heavy truck traffic, “is not an appropriate place.”
Rosenberg said the bakery was chosen for its “strong track record” in the city and the promising expansion of its workforce. The company currently has 45 employees, nearly all of them New Haven residents working manual labor jobs.
The Montesanos (pictured) hope to expand their workforce by about 50 percent within the next two years as they expand. They regretted the delay in buying the land: “People need more pies!” said Joe Montesano. “We’ve got to get moving.”
Back in aldermanic chambers, Alderman Jorge Perez welcomed the chance for another public hearing to scrutinize the RFP process. “The biggest question is, are we getting the best deal for the land?” he asked. The Montesanos would pay $100,000 for the property.
The sale price raised Perez’s eyebrows because, he said, nearby IKEA just paid $1 million for an acre of land with no buildings on it. He also questioned why the 108 Food Terminal was going for $100,000 when an appraisal taken a year ago pegged the value at $425,000.
That figure was off, said Rosenberg, because the appraiser didn’t actually enter the building to see that it was missing its roof. A more recent city assessment pegged the assessed value at $160,000, with a full value at about $229,000.
“A hearing is justified to clear everything up,” said Perez. A date for the hearing had not yet been set as of Monday.
I love the idea of of roller rink and I would go. But the question that needs to be asked is why are there so few of them left in the state. If she can over come what ever has closed them all down then it is a great idea. But the pie place sound a bit more stable.
But as I said we drive to a smelley old one in Milford. It is really bad. But they only charge a few dollars and that is the most alot of kids would be able to spend. They go to Middletown av theater because that is affordable. Most of the kids that greenwood spoke of do not have top dollar to pay. So what is the plan I would love to here more?